Lecturer - Early Years and Childcare

Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus

Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £33,048 and £38,169 per annum based on experience and qualifications, 45 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, Teacher's Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses. Note – Salary and annual leave entitlement is for that of a Qualified Lecturer.

Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week – 52 weeks per year – part‑time applicants will be considered

Contract Type: Permanent – Full / Part Time

This is a UK‑based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.

About the role: We are currently seeking a Lecturer in Early Years and Childcare to join our Health, Social Care and Childcare department at The Bedford College Group. As a Lecturer, you will play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Teaching & Learner Experience – Deliver high‑quality teaching, assessment and verification across Early Years, Primary Education and Health & Social Care programmes, ensuring an inclusive and engaging student experience.
• Curriculum Design & Innovation – Develop up‑to‑date schemes of work and learning materials that meet awarding body requirements, support innovation and reflect strong curriculum intent and implementation.
• Assessment, Progress & Quality – Assess learner work to required standards, track and report progress, contribute to internal quality assurance and continuous improvement, and support departmental KPIs.
• Employer Engagement & Vocational Learning – Work collaboratively with employers to secure and enhance meaningful industry placements, enrichment activities and vocationally relevant learning experiences.
• Professional Practice & Compliance – Maintain current sector knowledge through CPD, promote positive behaviour, complete administrative duties accurately, and uphold safeguarding, EDI, health & safety and college‑wide responsibilities.

About you:

• Qualifications & Sector Experience – Level 4+ qualification in Early Years or Primary Education, GCSE English and maths (or willingness to achieve Level 2), with current or recent professional sector experience and strong performance history.
• Teaching Excellence & Learner Progress – Demonstrated effective teaching across a wide range of ages, abilities and levels, with the ability to plan high‑quality schemes of work, manage behaviour and track learner progress.
• Professional Practice & Organisation – Highly organised, reliable and resilient, able to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines, work calmly under pressure and use Microsoft Office and Teams confidently.
• Communication, Relationships & Collaboration – Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage learners, colleagues and employers, contribute positively to teams and enhance vocational relevance.
• Values, Safeguarding & Flexibility – Student‑centred and inclusive, committed to College values, safeguarding and health & safety, reflective in practice, open to continuous development and flexible to work across sites.

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy. If you do not hold a recognised, qualified teaching qualification, please see attached PGCE CertEd information.

Interviews to be held: 29 April 2026

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork – We are one team who, by working together, can achieve great things, respecting opinions and valuing each other's contribution.
• Improving Continuously – We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student‑Centred – At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision‑making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive – We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring – We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence – We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About Bedford College: Bedford College has a number of sites across the town and surrounding areas, including our main Cauldwell Street Campus, our hair and beauty salon on the High Street, the advanced automotive centre on Brunel Road and the gas and technology plumbing centre in Kempston.

About The Bedford College Group: The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year. Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: 'Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College' in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; 'Shuttleworth College', a specialist land‑based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community‑based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students: The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to a thorough vetting process which includes an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.